NoveLight ™
In the original story, Baek Seo-jin had multiple heroines.
These included Moriya Yuka, Lee Ha-yeon, Han Se-hee, Kang Yu-ra, and Seomun Ye-jin.
However, if one were to name the "main heroine," the vast majority of readers would point to Han Se-hee.
Han Se-hee was a beautiful girl with pink hair and red eyes, who had been Baek Seo-jin's childhood friend since their youth. She was a classic healer-type heroine with a kind and gentle personality, often depicted in stories of this genre.
Her healing abilities and warm, gentle disposition earned her consistently high praise in the narrative.
But now, unlike in the original story where she was merely described as a childhood friend, I had learned exactly how Han Se-hee became Baek Seo-jin's childhood friend.
‘As expected, it was arranged by his parents.’
Han Se-hee was still only 11 years old, but Baek Hyung-won and Kim Yoo-jung had intentionally connected her with Baek Seo-jin, recognizing her potential both in terms of appearance and talent.
"Nine years left."
Nine years remained until the events of the original story.
Given the changes in Baek Hyung-won and Kim Yoo-jung’s plans due to their pursuit of Seomun Ye-jin, it was unclear whether they had already planned to pair Han Se-hee with Baek Seo-jin at this point in the original timeline.
"I was just about to head back, but what terrible timing."
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
But leaving things as they were wasn’t an option.
‘It’ll be a problem if Han Se-hee remains an ally of Baek Seo-jin.’
As a healing-type heroine attached to Baek Seo-jin, Han Se-hee would likely serve as his emotional support and constant source of comfort.
That was not something I wanted.
"Han Se-hee’s situation…"
I wasn’t sure how she had caught Baek Hyung-won and Kim Yoo-jung’s attention, but it was evident that they had marked her even before my return.
While monitoring Baek Hyung-won and Kim Yoo-jung, I hadn’t seen any sign of them discovering or reviewing information about Han Se-hee, which meant they had already had her in mind.
‘In the original story, Han Se-hee’s parents were Awakened but died in a dungeon accident.’
Dungeons, which poured forth monsters, had their ranks measured externally under normal circumstances.
However, there were instances where the dungeon’s rank suddenly increased after hunters had already entered.
This phenomenon often resulted in hunters losing their lives, as they were caught off guard by the sudden increase in the strength of the monsters.
Though some managed to survive by recognizing the rank increase and retreating in time, most perished during battles that turned deadly due to the monsters' sudden power spike.
Han Se-hee’s parents had met their end in such circumstances.
"Ramisa, I need to find out what happened to Han Se-hee’s parents in that dungeon."
The existence of magic in this world had been the result of Ramisa’s actions, and dungeons were a byproduct of that magic.
While dungeons were fragments of shattered worlds, they weren’t directly created by Ramisa herself.
The fragments had been drawn to the magic she had scattered and coalesced into the forms of dungeons.
The Eternal Dragon, Terenity, who was now dead, had apparently created dungeons intentionally, but neither The Fox That Devours Worlds nor Ramisa had much interest in the dungeons themselves.
To them, dungeons were merely automatic systems that made Awakened stronger.
"I’m only looking for the records of two individuals."
Han Se-hee’s parents had died about three years ago, two years after I was thrown into the Rift as an experimental subject for villains.
I recalled that the names of Han Se-hee’s parents were briefly mentioned in the original story: her father, Han Yeon-woo, and her mother, Jin So-yeon.
Using this memory, I began accessing the records of Han Yeon-woo and Jin So-yeon in this world.
The world did not resist my connection and readily provided the information, as it desperately needed my help to avoid being devoured by The Fox That Devours Worlds.
"I’ve located the dungeon they entered."
I discovered the SS-class dungeon where the two had met their fate.
Since the dungeon was a fragment of a world long gone and had already disappeared, retrieving the information was a grueling task. The backlash was so intense that it felt like my insides were being torn apart, but I managed to uncover the truth.
And the truth was wholly unexpected.
"The SS-class dungeon suddenly became an SSS-class dungeon, causing chaos."
The dungeon rank increased while the hunters were deep inside, sowing confusion among them.
As hunters began dying one by one, the likelihood of survival became increasingly slim.
In that moment of desperation, one of their companions crossed a line.
"SS-class hunter, Pyo Woo-jae. So it was him."
Pyo Woo-jae had been a long-time companion of Han Yeon-woo but had secretly lusted after Jin So-yeon for some time.
Faced with the slim chance of survival in the newly upgraded SSS-class dungeon, Pyo Woo-jae decided to act on his desires before he died.
Jin So-yeon, being a healer with little combat ability, was unable to resist Pyo Woo-jae’s assault. However, Han Yeon-woo, also an SS-class hunter, fought back with Jin So-yeon’s assistance despite being caught off guard.
Ultimately, Pyo Woo-jae killed Jin So-yeon, intending to sever their source of healing, before murdering Han Yeon-woo. He had planned to defile Jin So-yeon’s corpse before taking his own life.
But before Pyo Woo-jae could follow through, monsters swarmed the dungeon, trampling the couple’s corpses. Pyo Woo-jae was on the verge of being killed himself when SSS-class hunters arrived as reinforcements and rescued him.
"That bastard is still alive."
Pyo Woo-jae, who wasn’t even mentioned in the original story, was now living comfortably.
He had been taken in by Baekho Guild as a high-ranking member, given his SS-class status, and was enjoying a luxurious life.
"I could use this information to shatter Han Se-hee’s perception of Baek Seo-jin later."
It would be possible to reveal Pyo Woo-jae’s connection to Baek Seo-jin, causing Han Se-hee to feel deep disappointment in him.
But I decided against it.
"That would be too cruel to Han Se-hee."
Exploiting someone else’s parents’ deaths in such a way wasn’t my style.
Han Se-hee deserved to know the truth.
***
Han Se-hee had been living in the Gangin Orphanage for three years, ever since she lost her parents.
The orphanage, managed by the Gangin Guild, was a facility designed to care for children who had lost their hunter parents to villains or monsters.
The foundation of this orphanage was to ensure that even if hunters sacrificed their lives battling monsters and villains, their children would be supported by the Gangin Guild.
Thanks to this welfare effort by the Gangin Guild, Han Se-hee was able to grow up without any material deprivation.
Additionally, when she became independent, her parents' death compensation would be transferred to her account.
However, no amount of good food or clothes could compare to the warm affection of her parents.
Han Se-hee's Solitude
"Dad... Mom..."
Taking out a photograph of her father, Han Yeon-woo, and her mother, Jin So-yeon, Han Se-hee softly called out to them as she did every day, her voice full of longing.
But the parents who used to answer her calls three years ago were no longer around.
They had been killed by monsters inside a dungeon when its level had suddenly spiked.
The bodies of her parents were found in a terrible state due to the ferocity of the monsters.
That was all she knew.
The Visit
"Hello, Se-hee."
Suddenly, a boy with black hair appeared in front of her.
Looking slightly older than her, his unexpected presence made Han Se-hee tilt her head in curiosity.
"Who are you?"
Among the people at Gangin Orphanage, there was no one with his appearance.
It was clear he was an outsider.
"Do you have a moment? I have some truths to share with you about your parents."
"My parents?"
Hearing that it was about her parents, Han Se-hee's interest was immediately piqued.
No matter what, she wanted to learn more about her parents and uncover traces of their lives.
The Revelation
"Excuse me for a moment."
As the boy placed his hand gently on Han Se-hee's shoulder, she felt her surroundings change in an instant.
Moments ago, she had been standing alone in a secluded corner of the orphanage's yard.
Now, she was in an unfamiliar office.
"Am I being kidnapped?"
For a moment, she panicked, wondering if she had been abducted.
However, the sight of a middle-aged man in front of her put her at ease.
"Have you brought her already?"
"I need to wrap this up quickly. If I’m too late, the lady will be disappointed."
The middle-aged man, engaged in conversation with the boy who had brought her, was none other than Choi Kang-in, the master of the Gangin Orphanage and leader of the Gangin Guild.
Seeing that she had been brought before someone like Choi Kang-in, she felt assured that this was no abduction.
If someone like Choi Kang-in was involved, this had to be an important matter concerning her parents.
Even as young as she was, Han Se-hee could sense that much.
The Truth
"Han Se-hee," Choi Kang-in addressed her.
"I have something to tell you about your parents. It's a harsh truth. Are you ready to hear it?"
Han Se-hee clenched her fists.